11 Tips From a First Time Mom: Two Months In

11 Tips From a First Time Mom: Two Months In

Being a mom, I learn something new everyday. For example, yes, it does matter if baby’s diapers are on well. Cleaning poop off of her, her onesie, and let’s not forget the swing, is not fun.

It may not always be fun but it is always an adventure learning with my baby girl. It’s been amazing watching her grow. She really does change a little every day. She can do more now than she could a week ago. And don’t get me started on how different she is from the last time I wrote a “Tips From A First Time Mom” post (which you can find by clicking HERE).

Her needs are different now. So is my ability and capacity to meet them. I know her better. I’m more confident. I really feel like I’m getting the hang of this. Do I still have a lot to learn? Heck yes, I do! But, for now, I’m going to share what I’ve learned in the last month.

Here are my Tips From A First Time Mom: Two Months In

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Keep a burp cloth in every room!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been carrying my baby girl around when all of the sudden *BURP*! And with that burp comes spit up, all over my shoulder and her chin. I’ve learned that keeping burp clothes strategically placed around the house makes clean up quicker and easier!

Get bottle practice in ASAP

It’s taken trying multiple bottles to find one that *maybe* works!

I’ve been going back to work slowly over the last couple weeks. Thankfully! If I had just jumped back into a full-time schedule, my poor little girl would be one hungry baby!

She’s not a fan of the bottle. We did start working with her on this a couple weeks before my steady return to work. But, we didn’t stick with it. So, she fell out of practice. My poor hubby has to deal with a baby who screams whenever a bottle comes near.

Thankfully, she’s starting to warm up to the idea a little bit. Hopefully, by the time I go back to work full-time, she’ll be bottle-ready!

Start a routine…

It’s hard or near impossible to get little babies on a schedule. They have their own set of needs and their own timing for said needs. It is a good idea to start trying, though!

We’ve been keeping Norah on a feeding schedule that’s been working great for us. And believe me when I say that she has adjusted wonderfully to it. She regularly wakes up from her naps 5 minutes before food time, wide eyed, and ready for her meal!

… But be flexible

As I said, babies have their own set of needs, and those needs might change from one day to the next. Baby might be happy-go-lucky one day and only need you for food and the occasional snuggle. The next, they might be going through a rough patch (a leap, maybe?), and need you for constant comfort. Maybe they want to nurse, not because they’re hungry, but because they’re overwhelmed by their surroundings.

Make sure you tune in to your baby’s needs. Don’t worry if the schedule goes out the window one day. Just try again the next, and the next, and the next. Let baby guide you.

Try baby wearing or get a really good carrier

I keep both my carrier and my wrap easily accessible and ready to go!

Babies need you. Some days, they’ll need you a lot! This can be exhausting when you have a million other things to do. One good solution?

Baby wearing! OR A comfy carrier!

I love wearing Norah around the house when I’m cleaning, blogging, or just relaxing on the couch with a good book. Her carrier is perfect for when we’re out running errands. She loves being close to me. And I love having my hands free!

Play with baby- find activities they can participate in!

She LOVES reading!

Just because they aren’t talking or walking or even grabbing at things doesn’t mean that your baby can’t interact with you and the world around them. They are constantly discovering things and love when you are there with them as they do so.

Norah, for example, LOVES when I read to her. Her little legs kick like crazy and her eyes go wide every time I turn the page and a new world of colors and designs is opened up to her.

Your two-month-old baby is not too young to play with. They’re not too young to bond with. You just have to find activities that work with their current skill-sets. For some ideas, check out my blog post I Spent The Day Hanging Out With My 8-Week-Old.

If baby won’t calm down- go outside!

Baby having a rough day? Go outside! It’s simple and it works! A nurse recommended this to me, and it has been our go-to ever since. The change of environment mixed with the fresh air relaxes baby when they’ve gotten themselves all worked up.

Is it too cold or rainy to go outside? Try just walking baby to another room.

Or put baby in the bath!

If moving from one environment to the next doesn’t help to calm baby down, try a nice, warm bath. Babies love being in the water!

Speaking of baths… they help baby’s tummy aches! So does tummy time and a paci!

We learned this the hard way. Confession time: I ate curry one night. I knew I shouldn’t have done it. And I paid for that decision a couple hours later when Norah’s tummy started bothering her.

Oh, man, did she scream! And her poor tummy was just a-rumbling away. We googled and tried everything! The results? A warm bath, tummy time, and a pacifier are the best ways to help an upset baby belly when nothing else seems to be working!

Multiple changing pads! Layer them, even!

We have waterproof changing pads in different places all over our apartment. Even more than we have burp clothes! I have one in her swing, one in her napper, two in her changing station caddy, one on her changing table, one in her crib, one in her bassinet, and a couple others just laying around in case I need one in an emergency.

I even have some of those locations layered with multiple changing pads, just in case.

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had to change these things out. Norah has a horrible habit of peeing the second we get the diaper off her. She also spits up and has blow-outs which are much easier to clean up when it only involves tossing a water-proof pad in the washing machine. (Does anyone even know how to get the cover-thing off the swing? What do you do if that gets dirty? I’m clueless…)

Write It Down! Keep a memory book or a journal- or a blog!

It’s cliché, but it goes by SO FAST! Norah is doing something different every couple days. It’s so exciting watching her grow, and I want to remember every little detail.

Jot down the milestones-big and small a like! Write a little journal, or start a blog! It goes by faster than you can keep up, trust me!

aww this post is making me all nostalgic for when my girl was just a teeny, tiny two month old 🙂 These are wonderful tips! I especially agree with writing everything down..we bought her a baby book before she was born and I never missed writing anything down..I STILL write in it to this day with special occasions, milestones, etc and she’ll soon be 3! haha Great post 🙂

So cute! I remember those days well, my little is 1 now and it goes by so fast. We had to keep TOWELS in every room because she would spit up so much.

In hindsight, I realize this is a sign of severe reflux – we never used bottles, so that wasn’t it – , but it stopped once she started solids.

She loved the outdoors then and she still does even now! She didn’t care for me reading to her at that age but now she’ll grab her books and bring them to me.

I was always crazy about making sure the diaper fit right, hubby not so much lol. If you keep having blowouts, it may be time to go up a size – even if the box says otherwise. Babies are different shapes and sizes, and the weight on the box doesn’t always translate.

Thanks for the comment! I was wondering about reflux. She barely takes a bottle, so I’m not sure if it’s air or just her. Hopefully it gets better with solids like you said.

I can’t wait until Norah is 1! Well, I can because I want to absorb this time as much as possible, but I’m also excited to see what she’s like when she’s more interactive. I bet you’re little one is so much fun! And that’s great that she’s getting into books! For now Norah just likes the pictures. I’m excited for when she can start to comprehend the stories and pick out her favorites and such. I know that time will be here before I know it, though! I’m trying not to be impatient.

Are you seriously a first time mom??!!! Your blogs ooze of confidence ! I should have become a mom after you, then I would have been a better mom 😃 excellent tips dear friend, as always your blogs are a must read for all new moms. Lots of love to Norah & you. Watch out for the big transition that comes at 3rd month. Alina changed into a completely new person & she didn’t take a sip from her bottles- I tried all the brands at the store but I eventually gave up. Now at 26 months she still breastfeeds but not a lot. Every time I read your posts I roll my eyes and wish , oh boy, if only I was this wiser! Keep these posts coming ❤️😊

You are too sweet!!! 😊❤️ I don’t know about confidence. Haha I definitely still feel like I’m making it up as I go, but I really am loving being a mom. And thank you for the warning! I’ll be sure to pay extra attention around 3 months. And we’ve been trying a bunch of bottles, too! Hopefully we find one that works. Good for you BFing your little one all the way up to 26 months! That’s amazing! Go mama!!!

I use FB as my diary/journal. Could never remember to use the baby book that I bought especially for the occasion! One time I’m going to go back to my feed and pick out every little detail to write down… 😂